Katie Heads Off To War

Associated Press:

Katie Couric plans to leave Wednesday for an ambitious reporting trip to Iraq and Syria _ the CBS anchor's first time in the war zone _ in anticipation of a crucial military report on progress of the American effort.

Couric will anchor the "CBS Evening News" from Baghdad next Tuesday and Wednesday, then from Damascus on Thursday and Friday.

Read the whole story: Associated Press

Comments

[Meah]

12:00 AM on 08/31/2007

I NEVER watch CBS news. Why would CBS think that Katie being in Iraq would make someone like me watch them?
Both CBS and Katie Couric made dumb moves by teaming up. I think it is stupid for her to go to Iraq. Three congressmen were shot at today in Iraq. What's the flippin point?

[SadAmerican]

02:57 PM on 08/30/2007

My eyes burn from all these negatives comments about Katie. Tell me, when has Charlie Gibson been to Iraq to earn his stripes??? Maybe I missed it.

Katie, I wish you the best in your travels. I will be watching you nightly, as I always do.
I sincerely hope that you will be giving the news to us accurately, no BushCo doubletalk. It will be difficult, as I am sure, you will be shown just what the Pentagon sees fit to show you. Don't be hoodwinked; give us some real Dan Rather reporting.
Safe Travels!!!!!

[InofTouch]

01:19 PM on 08/30/2007

boy alot jurks around here..wish harm to a person....war can do this to you ???

[gakabani]

10:51 AM on 08/30/2007

Katie Heads To War.

Katie who?

[smartstuart]

09:15 PM on 08/29/2007

Dollars to doughnuts she NEVER gets out of the Green Zone! Katie-go back to the Today Show and Let Meredith take care of her ill hubby-and bring back Rather or Scheiffer!

[GenericBlogger]

09:14 PM on 08/29/2007

Will Katie Couric wear a military helmet and give us a good laugh?

[CHARLESTHETENTH]

07:54 PM on 08/29/2007

Unfortunately it is just to little to late! for Couric. The foreign reports seem to give a more honest picture of the actual War than our own. Besides Couric won't be able to go beyond the Green Zone so her perspective and interviews will be severely limited and she will have to rely mostly on the Military for information. This, or course, will not be an honest assessment of the War as we have seen to date. The true picture of the War lies beyond the Green Zone ..beyond Baghdad, and that is the part that most of us cannot see. Couric will not really add anything new and her trip to Iraq and Syria is strictly PR to try and boost her ratings here at home. We have seen and heard better from foreign reporters who have shown great courage venturing outside of the Green Zone...They have gone among the Iraqi people to get the true news, which has not been that encouraging and not as rosy as this administration would have us think!!.... So don't expect much from Couric since she will be spoon fed by our Military.

[PaceSetter]

06:59 PM on 08/29/2007

Katie gets kidnapped in September and it's CBS gold going into the Fall sweeps.

[Ginzaman]

03:55 PM on 08/29/2007

Looks like this is a pre-sweeps move on CBS's part? I watched her on her first night for ten minutes and then quit. They spend millions on her, a new set, etc. And then on their "Free Speech" segment they totally cave into Rush Limbaugh's demands (no editing, no one else is allowed to contradict me, etc.). Instantly they lose all credibility. And then on top of that she's says, if this anchor stuff doesn't work, I still have a contract and can do something else. Sounds really reassuring in the ratings war, huh?

Will she actually be in "the field"? Or on some base somewhere with dozens of Blackwater bodyguards, Apache helicopters overhead, etc.? (Hey, if it worked for McCain...). Aside from Michael Ware, real reporting of the truth stopped long ago in Iraq. All it is now is corporate/govt. propaganda. And the anchors all make tons of money and have the fame, etc. And that's all that matters.

Can you name one network new person that would actually take a stand and tell the TRUTH about Iraq? I rest my case.

[BlueLogic]

02:33 PM on 08/29/2007

The very sight of her tight face will take the fight over those knuckleheaded "insurgents", I just know it!!

[MENTAL]

01:45 PM on 08/29/2007

.

Fox's Anchorwoman was a carefully crafted take-off of CBS News with Katie ("Tarting-up, Dumbing-Down") Couric. The reason the fox show failed is, like Couric, it was fully predictable and boring.

At least the fox execs had enough sense to realize their failure and flush Anchorwoman. The tragedy here is that, once again, CBS execs have proven too stupid to do the right thing, so the real "Anchorwoman", fluff-master Couric, is allowed to continue polluting the airwaves.
.

[provgrays]

01:59 PM on 08/29/2007

I'm not a fan of the whole Couric thing, but she's not polluting the airwaves. She sits at a desk and reads a Teleprompter, just like Charles Gibson and Brian Williams.

The reporting is done by segment producers, field reporters and researchers. Couric's crime is not being a woman on the air. The problem is the network suits and their belief that Katie's lite persona will bring younger viewers, ratings and more advertising dollars.

Older people watch the news, they want a serious product and their money is as good as anyone else's. I'm in my mid 40's, in case you're wondering.

[milbank]

01:41 PM on 08/29/2007

"People hear all these things and I think it's really hard _ as some people get Iraq fatigue _ to keep a healthy and understandable perspective of what is going on. My goal is to provide that."


Had MSM given us that BEFORE the war, we would never have gone there to begin with. At this point, the "healthy and understandable perspective" is to get out as soon as possible.

[mellene]

12:31 PM on 08/29/2007

Sending Couric to the middle east is the only way she'll ever earn her stripes. All the serious contenders for newscasters go to see first hand, rather than having their stories handed to them. Bob Woodruff is (thank goodness) still living proof of that.

[Independent voter]

12:25 PM on 08/29/2007

Is this some misguided attempt to convince people that Couris is a serious reporter?

Not working!

[TJS]

11:06 AM on 08/29/2007

Katie can talk to the Sunnis and Shites about the latest fall fashions in headscarves and other related fluff...